The Famous Five? And The Secret Seven adventures are among are best-known Blyton books, along with Noddy and Malory Towers. The author, born in 1897 in London, was a full-time writer from the age of 24, penning more than 700 books which have sold more than 600 million copies and still continue to sell about eight million copies a year.
Blyton has been accused of being racist for decades? An article in the Guardian back in 1966 first raised the issue, noting the stories of the then recently published, The Little Black Doll, which told the tale of a doll called Sambo who was only loved by its owner when its 'ugly black face' was washed 'clean' by rain.